The Three R’s – How Green You Can Be

We have an effect on everything in our environment including the air, water, land, plants, and animals and of course, ourselves. We need a healthy environment for our own health and happiness so you can see why waste management is so important. We must carefully control the waste we create to make sure it does not harm our environment and our health. You can contribute in many ways. The most important things that you can be aware of and participate in are to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle - The Three R’s. To reduce is to lessen. To reuse is to use again. To recycle is to recover raw materials and reuse them to create new products.

The most important of the Three R’s is Reduce or lessen. You can have the most impact on the environment by first reducing your usage of and purchasing of products that cannot be reused or recycled. Of course, the most effective way to reduce waste is not to create it in the first place. There are many ways you can contribute to the reduction of energy consumption; some of which are in your purchases. Energy efficient appliances go a long way in contribution to cutting energy use and costs. According to EnergyStar.gov, (www.energystar.gov), a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, products with the Energy Star designation are the same or better than standard products, but use less energy. The EPA estimates that the typical household can save 30%, or $600, on its annual energy bills (approximately $1,900), with similar savings of greenhouse gas emissions. In other words, the purchase of Energy Star approved appliances uses less energy and can save money, with similar savings of greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, the use of energy-efficient appliances ...

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... This will help ensure a healthy environment and healthy you. Therefore, the most important things to remember is that to reduce is to lessen, to reuse is to use again and to recycle is to recover and reuse in new products. Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle - The Three R’s, you decide how green you want to be.

Works Cited

Energy. (n.d.). Energy Star - A Powerful Resource for Saving Energy. Energy Star Fact Sheet. Retrieved March 14, 2011, from http://www.energystar.gov

Redo - Reuse Development Organization. (n.d.). Benefits of Reuse. The Loading Dock - A Non-Profit Materials ReUse Center. Retrieved March 14, 2011, from http://loadingdock.org/redo/Benefits_of_Reuse/body_benefits_of_reuse.html

EPA. (n.d.). Reduce & Reuse | Reduce, Reuse, Recycle | US EPA. US Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved March 14, 2011, from http://www.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/rrr/reduce.htm